James r



(No Model.) Y

J. R. MORRIS.. SELF HEALING PNEUMATIC TIRE.

No. 496,528. .Patented May 2, 1893.

amen???" k name STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

JAMES R. MORRIS, OF PASSAIO, NEl/V JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW YORK BELTING AND PACKING COMPANY, LIMITED, OF ENGLAND.

SELF-HEALING PNEUMATIC TIRE.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,528, dated May 2, 1893.

Application filed October 15, 1892. Serial No. 449.006. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: or tube of vulcanized india rubber. Next Be it known that I, JAMES R.'MORRIS, of the outside of that are three or four plies of city and county of Passaic, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and usecloth I plefer to use fine\s sheetmg and ful Improvement in Self-Healing Pneumatic it is best to coat the plies of cloth withafric- Tires, which invention is fully set forth in the tion or other coat of india rubber. Next outfollowing specification. side of the plies of sheetingis a tube orlayer The object of thisinvention is to cause pneuof vulcanized india rubber, and next outside matic or inflated rubber tires for the wheels of that is a protection strip of the kind usuoo of bicycles and other vehicles, to be self-healally used as the outermost portion of a rubing. Aself-healing pneumatic tire is one that her cycle tire. In order to, prevent the layer will not leak on being pierced or punctured of unvulcanized india rubber, which forms by accident under the ordinary conditions to the innermost part of the tire, from sticking which such tires are subjected when in use. in'case the tire should be collapsed, it is 'ad- 65 Inflated rubber tires are so well known that visable to have an innermost coating of sleazy their general structure needs no special dejute cloth or cheese cloth, or some other scription. loosely woven fabric. If the cloth which is My invention consists in a mode of using placed upon the inner surface of the unvulunvulcanized india rubber in the structure of canized inner tube, is too closely woven, it 70 the tire. This unvulcanized rubber is softer will interfere with its self-healing operation. and more sticky than vulcanized rubber. I If any foreign substance should prick the prefer for this purpose to use a mixture of tire, it would first encounter the protection Assam rubber and Para rubber. Assam rubstrip, then a layer of vulcanized rubber, and ber serves to give the desired softness and then the plies of sheeting, then the layers of 75 2 5 stickiness to the unvulcanized rubber portion vulcanized rubber, and finallyit would pierce of the tire. When a piece of glass or nail or the unvulcanized layer and thus reach the other similar substance is encountered by the air in the center of the tube. On being withtire when in use and the same pierces the tire, drawn, the unvulcanized portion would by its it either remains in the tire or becomes withstickiness and tackiness close up the aper- 8o 0 drawn. If it remains in the tire, in passing ture and prevent the air from escaping; but

through the soft unvulcanized rubber, eonthis operation as already suggested might be tact is so close as to prevent the leakage of interfered with if there was adhering to the air, while if the foreign substance is withinner side of the unvulcanized tube, cloth of drawn the softness of the rubber causes it to so firm a texture as to hold back the parts 85 immediately close the hole and thus the tire immediately surrounding the aperture, and

is kept air tight. The air pressure within prevent their closing. serves to close the aperture and prevents the The drawing represents a cross-section of collapse of the tire. the tire made according to myinvention, and

I will now proceed to describe the construchaving an innermost coating of sleazy jute o 40 tion of a self-healing pneumatic tire, embraccloth or its equivalent.

ing my improvement. Pneumatic tires are arepresents the layer of loosely woven cloth. tubes made of india rubber, or layers of can- 1) represents the layer of unvulcanized india Vas coated with india rubber, or of layers of rubber.

rubber combined with layers of canvas. 0 represents the next layer of vulcanized 5 In describing my structure I will begin at india rubber. the inside of the tube and describe the sucd represents the plies of cloth. cessive layers from the inside of the tube out- .e represents the next layer of vulcanized wardly. india rubber, and outside of that is the pro- The inner surface of the tire is composed tection strip, which is notrepresented because [00 of a layer of unvulcanized india rubber formit is commonly used for the exterior coating ing a tube. Next outside of that is a layer of tires of this description.

The unvulcanized rubber is kept in that state during the heating, from the fact that it is not combined with sulphur, the omission of that substance lnakingit incapable of vulcanization.

I have mentioned unvnlcanized rubber as a substance which I believe to be best adapted for the purposes above described, but I do not confine myself to its use, as other substances having analogous semi-plastic properties, could be used for the same purpose, and when so used would be the equivalents of the unvulcanized rubber described as forming part of my improved self-healing tire.

hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A pneumatic cycle tire composed of the following elements: an inner layer of unvuling witnesses.

JAMES R. MORRIS. Witnesses:

W. W. Soor'r, GEO. A. MoDANoLns. 

